Route of the Mills in Marzan

Located opposite La Roche-Bernard, on the other bank of the Vilaine, the commune of Marzan stretches across a plateau overlooking the river. On these heights, exposed to sea winds, the remains of several windmills can still be seen. Streams have carved out the rock and flow at the bottom of the valleys. Where it was possible to dam them, water mills were built. The proposed route takes you from one to the other through varied and pleasant countryside.

Details

928292
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 6.17 mi
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 15 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 479 ft
  • ↘
    Descent: - 472 ft

  • ▲
    Highest point: 230 ft
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 10 ft
  • ⚐ Country: France
  • ⚐ City: Marzan (56130)
  • ⚑
    Start/End: N 47.540606° / W 2.323789°
  • ❏
    IGN map(s): Ref. 1021E, 1021SB, 1022ET, 1022OT
  • Hour-by-hour weather

Description of the walk

Park in the mini-market car park on Rue de la Fontaine.

(S/E) Walk back up to the church and go round it to the left to take the narrow lane to the right of its porch, on the other side of the square.
Turn left then right and follow the path until you pass the last houses. The tarmac road gives way to a wide path.
When you reach the road, take the path heading north-west, which leads into the woods.

(1) Before descending into the valley, note the remains of an old mill, to the left of the path in a wooded area.
Continue the descent to the Marzan stream. The valley floor is overgrown with a willow grove, giving the area a mangrove-like appearance when the water floods it. This is the upstream end of the mill’s reservoir, located downstream. The section of path leading to the road can be difficult to navigate when the stream is high.

(2) The path crosses the D774 county road near the old Craslon watermill, whose old weir also allows the road to cross the stream. Take the path leading uphill opposite and follow it until you reach another road. Turn left towards Guesperdé and follow the small village road to Rangorné.

(3) Turn right before the first houses, onto the small path that winds between two hedges. After about 300m, cross a road and join the old railway line of the Morbihan narrow-gauge railway. Let theGR®®39follow this track, and continue straight on towards the mills of Le Bourg. Situated at the highest point around Marzan, facing the ocean winds, these two mills have retained their proud appearance. At Kermestre, cross the road and continue along the path opposite, heading towards the mills. Follow the path that goes round them on the left and reach Kertuy.

(4) When you reach the first houses, take the track leading to the housing estate, and immediately take the path that runs between the houses. Cross the village and join the D774. At the crossroads, take the old railway line running south-east. Follow this path straight on to Penhap (approx. 1 km), then round the bend to Kerjulien. Come out onto the road and turn right under the motorway bridge.

(5) Follow the road for about 300m, then turn left onto the path that descends into the wooded valley to the riverbank. Continue along the riverbank (the path is steep in places) to the left, until you reach the Morbihan bridge. Pass under the bridge, continue along the riverbank for 150m, then head up the hillside towards the hamlet known as “La Motte”.

(6) Turn right after the house and follow the path to Rosquéran. Turn right onto the road and follow it for 800m.

(7) Take the path on the right, head down into the valley and return to the village, going round the old abattoir. At the church, turn left to return to the car park where you started (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : mi 0 - alt. 144 ft - Car park, Rue de la Fontaine
  2. 1 : mi 0.58 - alt. 190 ft - Old mill
  3. 2 : mi 1.14 - alt. 36 ft - Craslon Mill
  4. 3 : mi 1.65 - alt. 128 ft - Rangorné
  5. 4 : mi 2.59 - alt. 217 ft - Kertuy
  6. 5 : mi 3.74 - alt. 135 ft - Bridge under the A165 at Kerjulien
  7. 6 : mi 4.68 - alt. 82 ft - La Motte - Vilaine (fleuve)
  8. 7 : mi 5.56 - alt. 148 ft - Le Prateau
  9. S/E : mi 6.17 - alt. 144 ft - Car park, Rue de la Fontaine

Notes

All services and shops are available in the village of Marzan.

Worth a visit

The Morbihan narrow-gauge railway: part of the route follows the right-of-way of the old railway line known as the “Morbihan narrow-gauge railway”. This local line linked Vannes to St Nazaire and crossed the old La Roche-Bernard bridge (of which only the stone piers remain). On both sides of the Vilaine, traces of this line remain (old station buildings or level crossings, cuttings and embankments in the hills and slopes...) which you can have fun spotting in the landscape

Do pop into Marzan church; it’s well worth a visit.

And cross the cable-stayed bridge for a stop in the pretty town of La Roche-Bernard.

Always be cautious and plan ahead when you're outdoors. Visorando and the author of this route cannot be held responsible for any accidents occurring on this route.

The GR® and PR® markings are the intellectual property of the Fédération Française de Randonnée Pédestre.

Reviews and comments

4.3 / 5
Based on 12 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.7 / 5
Ease of following the route
3.9 / 5
Route interest
4.2 / 5
pasaprèspas
pasaprèspas

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 26, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Not a very busy route, given the date I did it.
But it was a pleasant route, with beautiful views of the bridges over the Vilaine River.

Machine-translated

pierjac4477
pierjac4477

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 25, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant hike, partly through the woods. We particularly enjoyed the steep path along the banks of the Vilaine. We had no difficulty following the route thanks to the GPS track, as it was not always easy to find our way in the forest.

Machine-translated

pascal44400
pascal44400

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 08, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Lovely views along the Vilaine

Machine-translated

philrandovilaine
philrandovilaine

As a reminder, Visorando's suggested routes are generally created by hikers who design their own itineraries. It is therefore common for them not to be signposted. This route is an exception, as it has been suggested and signposted by the municipality of Marzan. The two reasons mentioned at the beginning of your message are therefore valid.
Best regards
PhilRV

Machine-translated

Chanlaur
Chanlaur

Overall rating : 2.3 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 15, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Route interest : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Very busy route : No

Lack of attention? Unclear signposting? We lost track of the hike along the way. Our goal was to reach the Vilaine, but we didn't see it. Too bad, because the start of the route was promising.

Machine-translated

iojcg
iojcg

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 08, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

An easy route thanks to the quality of the paths, but there are numerous ascents and descents. The route passes through varied landscapes. The most picturesque section, in my opinion, was along the Vilaine. A few photos at https://eu.zonerama.com/randovoyages/Pho...

Machine-translated

MG 91300
MG 91300

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 04, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

The ivy hides the mills, but the route is very pleasant.
MG91300

Machine-translated

motoveve
motoveve

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 30, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very beautiful route, but didn't see many mills, as they were well hidden.

Machine-translated

plump
plump

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 06, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful walk with stunning views of the Vilaine river and the bridges of La Roche Bernard.

Machine-translated

Emerlin37
Emerlin37

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 14, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A very pleasant and easy route with a few wooded areas and a beautiful view of the Vilaine river three-quarters of the way along the route.
The route is well marked and maintained.

Machine-translated

fur
fur

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 22, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

A beautiful, easy and enjoyable hike to follow on the map
Very beautiful parish-specific to Brittany view of the Vilaine river and its bridges

Machine-translated

AL156
AL156

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 22, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

A pleasant route through the countryside around Marzan and along the Vilaine river (shared with the bridges route). Well signposted throughout.

Machine-translated

Moshe
Moshe

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 20, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Route extending from the bridge route, a beautiful hike that is not always easy to follow on the map.

Machine-translated

Other walks in the area

For more walks, use our search engine .

The GPS track and description are the property of this route's author. Please do not copy them without permission.